Open Doors, July 6, 2024 (excerpts)

During his recent brief visit to North Korea, Russian leader Putin was treated to parades and shows and signed a mutual defence pact with Kim Jong-un.

Before heading on to Vietnam, Putin visited the Russian Orthodox Church, lit a prayer candle and spoke with Archbishop Theophanes, who performed a brief service. The archbishop was trained and ordained in Russia by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Such visits are meant to emphasise the strong connections between countries. The Orthodox Church in Pyongyang was constructed after Kim Jong-un’s father, the late leader Kim Jong-il, visited a church in the Russian city Irkutsk in 2002.

Putin publicly positions himself as a devout Christian and defender of the Russian Orthodox Church. This means that people from former Soviet Republics – who are usually Muslim – are often discriminated against in Russia.

Putin’s visit may also be intended to signal to an international stage that North Korea has religious freedom. This is, however, very far from the case. It is the country where Christians face the worst persecution for their faith.

There are only four official church buildings in North Korea, all located in Pyongyang – the Russian Orthodox Church, a Roman Catholic Church and 2 Protestant churches.

While these appear to suggest religious freedom, the churches are ‘showcase churches’, which only hold services when foreigners request to visit. North Korean citizens certainly would not be able to attend or worship God there.

The Voice of the Martyrs, July 11, 2024 (excerpts)

Mrs. Thai, a Christian widow in a Khmu tribal village in Laos, was persecuted by her own family and kicked out of her house because of her faith. She lived alone, and none of her family cared for her. She passed away on December 27, 2023. Her family did not want to take responsibility for her funeral.

Members of the local body of Christ came to bury her, but the village headman would not permit them to bring it into the village cemetery, concerned that it would displease the ancestor spirits.

Eventually, seven women of the church carried Mrs. Thai’s body far from the village and buried it themselves. Pray that the loving care of the body of Christ in Mrs. Thai’s case will have a deep impact on her family and the whole village so that they will be drawn to Christ.

The Communist government, in conjunction with Buddhist monks, persecutes Christians, with the exception of the government-controlled Lao Evangelical Church. Poverty, lack of infrastructure and mountainous terrain make evangelistic outreach challenging. Thanks to bold evangelists, churches continue to grow even as they experience ongoing persecution.

Most believers are persecuted by family members or village authorities concerned that Christians offend the spirits, and the central government restricts Christian activity.

There are many house churches and some church buildings, but the vast majority do not have a trained pastor. Laotian authorities sometimes arrest Christians and detain them for up to a week in attempts to control Christian activity.

Morning Star News, July 12, 2024 (excerpts)

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom again has recommended that the State Department designate Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), citing the country’s blasphemy laws as a prime source religious freedom violations.  The U.S. State Department has designated Pakistan as a CPC every year since 2018.

Pakistan continues to witness widespread abuses of religious freedom, including blasphemy laws, forced conversions of minority girls, and targeted violence against religious minorities.

The blasphemy laws have been criticized for broad and vague provisions often misused to settle personal scores or target people of minority religions in the 96-percent Muslim country. The USCIRF report documents numerous cases of individuals, including Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis, being falsely accused and imprisoned under these laws.

The mere accusation of blasphemy can lead to mob violence, extrajudicial killings, and mass protests, creating a climate of fear and intimidation. The recent high-profile case of Zohaib Masih, a young Christian who was wrongfully detained and tortured on false blasphemy charges, exemplifies the ongoing misuse of these laws.

The report also highlighted forced conversions, particularly of young Christian and Hindu girls who are abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to their abductors.

In addition, numerous instances of targeted violence against religious minorities with attacks on churches, temples, and Ahmadi mosques, continue to be a serious concern.

International Christian Concern, July 11, 2024

Children and students alike in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to endure Islamist attacks and militia violence, forcing them to leave school and flee their homes.

According to UNICEF, “in both 2021 and 2022, DRC had the world’s highest levels of cases of sexual violence against children committed by armed forces and armed groups … in 2022, 730 children were verified as abducted.”

As a result, a reported 750,000 children have been forced to leave school and discontinue their education.

Some of these students pursue their education elsewhere and pledge to return to the DRC to help their fellow citizens overcome near-insurmountable odds.

In 2021, when Kahindo was 19, she and her parents were abducted by ADF, an Islamic terrorist organization with ties to the Islamic State group (ISIS).

“The rebels appeared abruptly and pulled us away into the thick forest, separated me from my parents and, for 3 days, sexually abused me in turns. They were eight in number.”

Kahindo’s mother managed to flee to the authorities for help. When the police returned, a gun battle ensued and Kahindo made a daring escape during the confusion.  However, her father’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Despite Christians being the religious majority in the DRC, they are routinely attacked and murdered by the Islamic ADF and other terrorist groups.

Kahindo now hopes to become a doctor and help young girls and women who get sexually assaulted by the rebels.

Throughout the world, people know the Balinese for their artistic abilities. They live on or originated from the island of Bali. Most Balinese live in very close-knit villages with strong family, social, religious, and economic interrelationships.

Hinduism is the primary religion of the Balinese. Even though Hinduism has greatly affected the culture, the Balinese have managed to maintain their original culture, so Balinese Hinduism differs from Indian Hinduism.  

These close-knit societies make it particularly challenging for any member to find spiritual truths outside of what they already believe.

A great need in Bali is a plan for tourism development. Well-conceived and well-executed strategies to build tourism and expand job opportunities could be an excellent gospel ministry.

Pray that Christian Balinese would find community and fellowship together. Pray that they would find ways to share the holiness and power of Christ with family and community. Pray that God would grant repentance and grace to those who need Christ and would provide them opportunities to receive him without fear.